Thursday October 4, 2012 year: 132 No. 111
the student voice of
The Ohio State University
www.thelantern.com
thelantern Smith considered leaving OSU, admits B1G struggles
sports
MiCHael PeriaTT and PaTriCK MaKS Managing editor for content and Asst. sports editor periatt.1@osu.edu and maks.1@osu.edu Perhaps more than anyone else, Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith has had a lot on his plate since the university’s “tatoo-gate” scandal began in December 2010. In an interview with The Lantern, Smith talked about thoughts of leaving OSU, the school’s revamped compliance department, football coach Urban Meyer’s first season in Columbus and the possibility of a 2002 national championship reunion including former OSU coach Jim Tressel.
Husker hunting
Thought about walking away It has been more than 18 months and there are still plenty of OSU fans who think Smith should have lost his job because of the Tattoo-gate scandal that led to Tressel’s firing. Smith said there was never a moment he thought that was a possibility, but he did consider walking away for the sake of those around him. “I never thought that I would be dismissed by our president because I really did nothing wrong,” Smith said. “I did everything that I was charged to do and accountable for. Did I ever feel that I should leave? Never. That I should resign because of the pressure I was under? Never thought that. Did I ever have thoughts that I should walk away for the betterment of the institution and the people that I work with everyday and I serve? Yeah.
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The OSU football team will try to avenge its 2011 loss to Nebraska Saturday at 8 p.m.
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andrew HOlleran/ Photo editor
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Election to decide health care’s future ally MarOTTi Editor-in-chief marotti.5@osu.edu
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Time flies for Cal Scruby
Cal Scruby is slated to open for the electro-pop duo Timeflies at 8 p.m. Thursday at The Bluestone.
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This is the seventh story of an 11-article series leading up to the Nov. 6 presidential election that will break down the issues dominating political debates. Check back next Thursday for our segment on taxes. If you have a pre-existing medical condition, finding a health care provider that will cover you can be tough. President Barack Obama says the health care system America uses isn’t working, but Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney says Obama’s changes are not fixing it. According to Romney’s website, letting the states make health care decisions is key, but two years ago, Obama signed an act that would expand federal government aid, among other things. A Sept. 26 Associated Press article said Obama
often sites the health care law Romney spearheaded as governor of Massachusetts as the framework of his own federal health care law. Diagnosed with cancer and need treatment? Suffer from diabetes? If you’re covered at all, expect to pay a higher premium because you’re a higher risk and will cost the insurance companies more. Romney wants to prevent discrimination among those individuals by insurance companies. Universal health care is necessary, Romney recently told NBC News when he was in Ohio, and it was something he says he was able to achieve in Massachusetts. Hospital emergency rooms are the only systems required to treat people who aren’t insured or can’t pay, but if someone uses their services and can’t pay for it, that cost doesn’t disappear. Jerry Friedman, adviser for health policy and associate vice president for external relations and advocacy for the Wexner Medical Center, said the insured pick up that slack.
“It’s the most inefficient and expensive way of care,” Friedman said. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 48.6 million Americans, or 15.7 percent of the population, did not have health insurance in 2011. Although that number is down from 50 million in 2010, Friedman said their treatment is costing insured families about $1,000 extra per year. The government, as is, insures some people. Medicare is provided for low-income families, and Medicaid is provided for people over the age of 65 or younger people with disabilities. According to the most recent numbers from the U.S. Census Bureau from 2009, more than 45 million people were enrolled in Medicare and almost 62 million were enrolled in Medicaid. Obama signed the Affordable Care Act on March 23, 2010, and most of its effects will not go into effect until 2014. Friedman, who has been with the Medical
Analysts say Romney won OAR kicks off $2.5B OSU fundraising effort debate
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dan HOPe Senior Lantern reporter hope.46@osu.edu
Jerry DePizzo and Marc Roberge attended the same freshman orientation at Ohio State in 1997. As it turned out, three of Roberge’s friends, also natives of Rockville, Md., — Chris Culos, Benj Gershman and Richard On — were coming to OSU as well and with a plan. And unbeknownst to them, DePizzo would soon become part of it. He became the fifth member of their band Of A Revolution, more widely known as O.A.R. O.A.R. is scheduled to return to its alma mater Thursday to perform as the featured act at Rock The Oval, a concert in celebration of the university kicking off its “But for Ohio State” campaign. “We’re really excited,” DePizzo, saxophonist, guitarist and backup vocalist, said of the concert. “It’s extra special to come back to the university under the invitation of the university. And this is the first time in well, a decade, that that’s been the case.” The “But for Ohio State” campaign is a fundraising initiative with the intent of raising $2.5 billion for OSU, according to a university press release. The campaign’s title was inspired from a 2011 quote from Les Wexner, former chairman of OSU’s Board of Trustees and the CEO of Limited Brands, Inc. “But for Ohio State, I would have never been able to go to college,” Wexner said during the announcement of a $100 million donation to the university on Feb. 16, 2011, according to a university release.
Courtesy of MCT
Of a revolution, better known as O.a.r., is scheduled to perform on the Oval Thursday evening for a ‘But for Ohio State’ fundraising campaign. Members of the band formerly attended OSU. Jeff Kaplan, senior vice president for Advancement, said the university hopes to reach its goal in 2016. “This is critical dollars for our support,” Kaplan said. “It’s for educational assistance and scholarships, it’s for faculty research and faculty support along with a number of other things.” He estimated that 700 people, in addition to the students, are expected to attend the fundraising kick off.
DePizzo said he left the university in 2001 without a degree, while the rest of the band graduated or dropped out as well. Alumnus or not, DePizzo still credits OSU for his and the band’s success. “If it wasn’t for the school and its makeup, I don’t think we (O.A.R.) would have the career that we have today,” he said. “I think we are a quintessential success
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